08.03.11

Murkowski Bill Boosts Health Care Access for Alaskan Children

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced legislation with fellow Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) that would allow parents to purchase insurance for their children across state lines, after a provision in the recent health care reform law resulted in Alaskan carriers not allowing new enrollees. "One of the unintended consequences of health care reform is that it has made it difficult for children to be insured if their parents or grandparents don't have coverage… Continue Reading

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08.03.11

Murkowski: FERC Responses Raise New Concerns About Reliability

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today said she remains concerned about the impacts that new regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency could have on the reliability of the nation's power grid. In May, Murkowski asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is responsible for reliability, to explain how the commission is working to ensure that EPA's new regulations do not adversely affect reliability. FERC's responses, which arrived Monday in the form of three … Continue Reading

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08.03.11

Murkowski Applauds SAFE Report on Directional Drilling in ANWR

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today commended a new report by the group Securing America's Energy Future (SAFE) calling for a real-world test of directional drilling techniques to tap into the estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil contained in the non-wilderness portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). "This is a concept that I have long offered as a reasonable alternative to those who oppose conventional development of the 1002 Area," Murkowski said. "Whi… Continue Reading

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08.02.11

Sen. Murkowski Comments on Approval of Southeast Mining Permits

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Forest Service's approval of mining permits on Prince of Wales and Woewodski islands in Southeast Alaska: "I remain committed to repealing roadless requirements for the Tongass, but in the interim, I welcome the Forest Service's efforts to find a compromise that allows responsible development to proceed," Murkowski said. "The ability to develop our domestic supplies of critical mine… Continue Reading

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08.02.11

Murkowski Supports Bipartisan Deal

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted for legislation to rein in federal spending while allowing the U.S. Treasury to pay America's debts and obligations, issuing the following statement afterwards: "Today I joined with 73 colleagues to pass the Budget Control Act. I'm satisfied that Congress took care of business and carved out an agreement that allowed us to raise the debt ceiling and avoid seeing a financial crisis materialize. Failure to act could have undermined our entire… Continue Reading

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07.31.11

Murkowski Votes Against Reid Debt Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted against the debt bill put forward by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) - which fell 10 votes short of cloture - and issued the following statement afterwards: "Senator Reid's plan could not get my support because at its core, it's a hollow piece of legislation - counting as savings money we don't plan on spending and calling it a debt reduction plan. A full trillion dollars of Senator Reid's assumed cuts are decreases in spending on o… Continue Reading

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07.30.11

Murkowski “Angry, Frustrated and Mad” At Deficit Talks

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke on the U.S. Senate floor and shared her frustration at the lack of progress being made as the August 2nd deadline to raise the nation's debt ceiling grows closer - and the continuing lack of a responsible long-term solution to America's rising deficit. Here is a transcript of her comments: "As we have deliberated all day, there's been a lot of finger-pointing and a lot of blame - and as the Senator from Massachusetts has noted, a lot of times it s… Continue Reading

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07.29.11

Murkowski Votes for Boehner Budget Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski tonight voted in favor of moving forward with Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) budget plan, issuing the following statement afterwards: "I supported Speaker Boehner's plan because it's honest about the spending reductions we need. It's a plan that makes dollar-for-dollar spending cuts to begin responsibly addressing our deficit over the long term. "What's most frustrating about our current process is that all we are demonstrating is that neither side ha… Continue Reading

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07.28.11

Murkowski Insists Negotiations Should Not Affect Troop Pay

WASHINGTON, D.C. - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today co-sponsored the Protecting Military Pay Act of 2011 (S. 1365), legislation introduced by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) that prioritizes the payment of military salaries in the event of a worst-case scenario funding gap. "As we continue to address the debt and deficit here in Washington, I remain optimistic about finding a resolution to our stalemate - but I have to expect the best, while preparing for the worst," Murkow… Continue Reading

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07.28.11

Murkowski: Bill Allows Natives to Continue Traditional Harvest

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following comment in support of legislation she's introduced to allow the Huna Tlingit of Southeast, Alaska, to carry out their traditional subsistence gull egg harvest in Glacier Bay National Park: "The Huna Tlingit have lived in the region of Glacier Bay, and practiced their traditional subsistence lifestyle there, long before it was made into a national park," Murkowski said. "They consider gull egg collection an import… Continue Reading

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07.26.11

Homer Scare Motivates Murkowski to Ask for Review of Tsunami Warnings

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today sent a letter to National Weather Service Assistant Administrator John Hayes asking him to review the NWS's Tsunami Warning System after a March incident in Homer, Alaska, where false tsunami warning sirens sounded during the tragic earthquake/tsunami in Japan - despite the lack of a threat. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake tragically struck Honshu, Japan. The result of the earthquake triggered a massive tsunami, resulting in the Al… Continue Reading

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07.26.11

Murkowski on USPS Proposal: “This is Necessity, Not Convenience”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today questioned the initial proposed list released by the United States Postal Service suggesting changes to Alaska's Postal Service operations. "The United States Postal Service themselves admit that this is a rough first draft from a computer's raw data," Murkowski said. "But you simply can't compare four Seattle post offices to 1 in Platinum - this is necessity, not convenience in terms of Alaska's way of life." The Postmaster General held a news c… Continue Reading

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07.25.11

Murkowski Responds To Alaska Newspapers Shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski sent the following "Letter to the Editor" today after hearing the news that Alaska Newspapers Inc. will close its doors at the end of August: "Dear Editor: "I was sorry to learn that Calista Corp. has decided to shut down Alaska Newspapers Inc. (ANI) and its chain of weekly newspapers next month. For nearly 20 years, ANI's publications have informed and entertained readers in many of the state's smallest, most remote communities. The demise of the pa… Continue Reading

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07.22.11

Murkowski Presses For FAA Extension, Essential Air Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Lisa Murkowski joined Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) - a fellow member and Chair of the U.S. Senate Essential Air Service Caucus - in sending the attached letter to their Senate colleagues this morning urging support for a clean extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization, otherwise set to expire today. "For the past several months I have worked with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to preserve the Essential Air Service Program," Murkows… Continue Reading

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07.22.11

Murkowski Expects Shell, ConocoPhillips Plans to Move Forward

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency released two new draft air quality permits for Shell and ConocoPhillips' exploration plans for Alaska's outer continental shelf (OCS): "Permitting has been the greatest obstacle to our being able to discover and develop new oil prospects in Alaska, so any progress on that front is welcomed," Murkowski said. "Far too often, however, we have seen the permitting … Continue Reading

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07.22.11

Alaskans Shine as “Families of the Year” by Uniformed Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski is pleased to honor two deserving Alaskan families chosen by their Uniformed Service as a "2011 Family of the Year." Yesterday at a Washington, D.C. ceremony, the two families were among only seven nationwide to be named outstanding: the Henley family of Sitka, and Thompson family of Eagle River. "It's statistically amazing that two of the seven Families of the Year were from Alaska, but not surprising when you consider the close bonds our Alaskan commu… Continue Reading

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07.22.11

Murkowski: “He Built Alaska. Ted Was Alaska”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Lisa Murkowski spoke to Alaskans today to commemorate tomorrow's first celebration of Ted Stevens Day in Alaska. Here is a transcript of her thoughts: "Happy Ted Stevens Day, Alaska! "I hope that every single one of you is enjoying a beautiful Alaska Summer weekend the way that Senator Stevens would have wanted: in an active, fun way - embracing Alaska's great outdoors. The Stevens family said today's motto should be "Get Out And Play" because of Ted's love of h… Continue Reading

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07.22.11

Murkowski: Cut, Cap and Balance Agenda Not “Back Burner” Issue

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski voted to press forward with the "Cut, Cap and Balance" agenda this morning in a U.S. Senate vote to proceed with debate or table the legislation, and gave the following statement after the measure was blocked on a 51-46 count: "I voted to allow the Senate to debate the Cut, Cap and Balance Act because the federal government needs to cut current spending levels, cap future spending levels, and balance the budget. I worry that putting off these issues onto th… Continue Reading

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07.21.11

@LisaMurkowski’s “Brown Bag Town Hall” Goes Overtime

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski conducted her first "Brown Bag Town Hall" discussion with Alaskans using social media, and needed extra time to answer the flow of questions submitted via Twitter. "While some of my Senate colleagues can jump on a train or drive home to keep in touch with friends back home, Alaskans - as usual - have to be more resourceful," said Murkowski. "I was happy to share my thoughts and answer questions 4,000 miles away - and had fun doing it." The Twitter conversa… Continue Reading

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07.21.11

Murkowski: Safety, Production, Revenue Sharing must be Addressed

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today expressed optimism that the Energy Committee would soon reach agreement on a proposal to allow coastal states to retain a responsible share of federal offshore energy revenues, and simultaneously advance legislation on better safety and increased energy production. "We must recognize the importance of putting safety and the nation's need for greater energy production together," Murkowski said. "Our shared goal is to have safe produc… Continue Reading